Textile material



Nov. 4, 1952 T. H. HILLIARD TEXTILE MATERIAL 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed March 17, 1949 INVENTOR.

THoMAs H. NLLLIARD.'

BY {W TTORNEYS.

Nov. 4, 1952 T. H. HILLIARD TEXTILE MATERIAL" 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 Filed March 17, 1949 e 5 2 L. 5 s

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THOMAS H- HILLIARD BY XM'W ATTORNEYS.

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' ma ri lhavin ai pn i Won 9! btw n bu After the staple fibers have been saponified, they are separated from the saponification medium, washed to free them from the residue of said medium and dried. They are then ready to be spun into yarn.

A preferred embodiment of the apparatus of my invention is diagramatically illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l is a front elevational view of the feed end of an apparatus for preparing and saponifying staple fibers having a basis of cellulose acetate or other organic acid ester of cellulose,

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the discharge end of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the portion of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the portion of the apparatus shown in Fig. 2,

Fig. 5 is a detail view, on an enlarged scale, of the centrifugal cutters that convert the tow to staple fibers,

Fig. 6 is a detail view, on an enlarged scale, showing the baffle plates that impart turbulence to the mixture of saponification medium and staple fibers, being conveyed through the passageway, and

Fig. 7 is a view in section taken on the line I-! in Fig. 6, in the direction of the arrows.

Like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings, the reference numeral II designates crimped tows of continuous filaments of cellulose acetate or other organic acid ester of cellulose, which are led from tow cans I2 over guide bars I3 and I4 to a guide bar I5 of a tow tightener, or tension device, indicated generally by reference numeral I6. The tow tightener I6 comprises guide bars H, I 8 and I9 around which the tows II pass to form loops 2|, which serve to maintain the desired tension on said tows. After passing over the guide bar I9, the tows II pass under pulleys 22 and are guided by pulleys 23 onto feed rollers 24, which feed rollers are positively driven by means of a motor 25 operatively connected thereto by a belt (not shown) within the housing 25'. The tows II, after passing around the feed rollers 24, are guided by pulleys 26 and 2! to centrifugal cutters, indicated generally by reference numeral 28.

The centrifugal cutters 28 comprise casings 29 in which are positioned disks 3| mounted on shafts 32 journalled in bearings 33. The disks 3| are rotated at a high speed by any suitable means (not shown) through the shafts 32 by belt drives 34 trained around pulleys 35. The tows I I enter the cutters 28 through apertures 33 in the casings 29 and are threaded into radially extending passageways 31 in the disks 3|. As the disks 3| revolve, the tows I I are drawn outwardly through the passageways 31 by centrifugal force, and the ends of said tows are severed into staple fiber form by cutting blades 33. By adjusting the speed of the feed rollers 24 relative to the speed of the disks 3 I, the length of the staple fibers produced may be varied readily over a wide range.

Immediately after being formed, the staple fibers are sprayed and thoroughly wet with a saponification medium from conduits 39 that extend through the casings 29 of the centrifugal cutters 28. The wet staple fibers then drop from the casings 29 into a funnel 4| leading to a horizontally disposed enclosed passageway, indicated generally by reference numeral 42, in which the saponification is effected. The funnel 4| is positioned in a tank 43 to which a saponification medium is pumped from a storage tank 44 through a conduit 45 by means of a pump 46. The saponification medium also flows from the conduit 45 to the conduits 39 in the centrifugal cutters 28 through branch conduits 41. As the saponification medium enters the tank 43, it is mixed thoroughly by bafiles 48 and 49 positioned therein, and then passes over heating coils 5|, through which a heating fiuid such as steam, is circulated, to control the temperature of said saponification medium. The level of the saponification medium in the tank 43 is regulated by an overflow pipe 52 that discharges through a conduit 53 back to the storage tank 44.

The saponification medium also overflows through apertures 54 in the funnel 4I into the enclosed passageway 42 and mixes with the staple fibers therein. The enclosed passageway 42, which comprises a plurality of pipe sections 55 fastened together by couplings 53, is kept full by having its discharge end 51 raised above its feed end 58. As the saponification medium and staple fibers pass through the enclosed passageway 42, turbulence is imparted to the saponification medium by curved baflle plates 59, which may be positioned at each of the couplings 56. This insures a thorough wetting of the staple fibers by the saponification medium, and a rapid and uniform saponification of said fibers.

After passing through the enclosed passageway 42, the saponification medium and staple fibers are discharged between baffles 39 onto a positively driven, wire mesh belt 3| which is trained around positively driven rollers 32 and 33 and idler roller 64. The wire mesh belt 3| permits the major portion of the saponification medium to drain from the staple fibers, and carries the staple fibers under a squeeze roll 65, which with roller 63 expresses more of the saponification medium from the staple fibers. The saponification medium drained from the staple fibers and expressed therefrom by the squeeze roll 35 is oollected in a pan 63 and flows through a spout 31 to the storage tank 44 for further use. The strength of the saponification medium in the tank 44 is maintained constant by intermittent or continuous addition thereto of a concentrated solution of the saponification agent from tank 63. Similarly, the volume of the saponification medium in the tank 44 is maintained constant by intermittent or continuous addition thereto of a quantity of water from the tank 69. Valves I0 are provided in the lines for supplying the saponification medium and the water to regulate the feed thereof to the tank 44.

From the squeeze roll 65, the staple fibers pass between squeeze rolls II and I2 to express more of the saponification medium therefrom. The staple fibers then drop onto a positively driven wire mesh belt I3, which is trained around rollers I4 and I5, and idler I6. The Wire mesh belt 13 carries the staple fibers under a series of water sprays I! to wash the residue of the saponification medium therefrom. The staple fibers then pass under a squeeze roll 8| to express a portion of the wash water therefrom and are deposited by means of a positively driven roller 82 onto an endless belt 83. The liquid drained from the staple fibers is collected in a pan 84 and discharged as waste through a conduit 85. A shield 83 mounted above the endless belt 83 prevents the staple fibers from overshooting said belt.

The endless belt 83 is trained around rollers 88 and 89 and may be driven in either direction by means of a motor 9| operatively connected thereto through a chain drive 92. The endless belt 83 drops the staple fibers into either of two conventional centrifugal extractors, indicated generally by reference numerals 93 and 94, positioned at opposite ends of said belt. The use of two extractors permits of continuous operation since, while one extractor is removing the water from the staple fibers therein, the other extractor may be loaded and vice versa. After the major portion of the water has been removed from the staple fibers, the extractors may be unloaded by means of suction from a wool type fan, which will open up the staple fibers to facilitate drying and discharge said fibers directly into a dryer (not shown) wherein they are dried. The dried staple fibers may then be sprayed with a spinning lubricant and spun into yarn either alone, or in admixture with fibers of other types.

Instead of removing the water from the staple fibers by means of the extractors 93 and 94, the staple fibers may be passed through a set of wringer rolls similar to the wringer rolls H and- 12 directly as they drop off the endless wire mesh belt '13 to remove the water therefrom. After emerging from between said wringer rolls, the staple fibers may be dried and spun into yarn as set forth above.

The following example is given to illustrate this invention further:

Example Crimped tows of cellulose acetate having a total denier of 288,000 and an acetyl value of 54.5%, calculated as acetic acid, are fed at the rate of 500 pounds per hour into the apparatus shown in the accompanying drawings. The staple fibers produced from this tow are treated in this apparatus for a period of 18 seconds with a saponification medium comprising an aqueous solution containing 0.975% by weight of sodium hydroxide and 1.7% by weight of sodium acetate maintained at a temperature of 90 C. The staple fibers are then separated from the saponification medium, washed and dried. The saponified staple fibers have an acetyl value of 44% calculated as acetic acid and possess excellent spinning properties.

While the process and apparatus of this invention have been described with particular reference to the preparation of partially saponified staple fibers having a basis of cellulose acetate or other organic acid ester of cellulose to which they are especially adapted, they may also be employed for the preparation of other types of staple fibers and for the treatment of various types of fibrous materials with liquids.

It is to be understood that the foregoing detailed description is given merely by way of illustration and that many variations may be made therein without departing from the spirit of my invention.

- for converting continuous filaments into staple fibers, means adjacent to said cutter for spraying a liquid medium onto said staple fibers as formed, a tank positioned adjacent to said cutter for holding a liquid medium, a horizontally disposed, completely enclosed conduit, having its discharge end elevated with respect to the other end thereof, operatively connected to said tank for introducing additional liquid medium into said conduit concomitantly with said staple fibers whereby the liquid medium, having entrained therein the staple fibers, fiows through said conduit, the construction arrangement being such that said conduit is maintained substantially completely filled with liquid medium during the operation of said apparatus.

2. Apparatus for the treatment of fibrous material comprising, in combination with a cutter for converting continuous filaments into staple fibers, means adjacent to said cutter for spraying a liquid medium onto said staple fibers as formed, a funnel positioned beneath said cutter for receiving the staple fibers and the liquid medium directly therefrom, a tank for holding a liquid medium in which said funnel is mounted, a horizontally disposed, completely enclosed conduit, having its discharge end elevated with respect to the other end thereof, operatively connected to said funnel, apertures in the walls of said funnel for admitting additional liquid medium into said funnel whereby the liquid medium flows into said funnel and through said conduit, and baffle plates positioned in said conduit for imparting turbulence to the liquid medium during its passage therethrough, the construction and arrangement being such that said conduit is maintained substantially completely filled with liquid medium during the operation of said apparatus.

THOMAS H. HILLIARD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,627,037 Kampf et al May 3, 1927 1,962,139 Dreyfus June 12, 1934 2,086,888 Zetzsche July 13, 1937 2,265,795 Bauer et al. Dec. 9, 1941 2,269,563 Taylor et al Jan. 13, 1942 2,384,032 Jackson Sept. 4, 1945 2,418,125 Koster Apr. 1, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 514,134 Great Britain Oct. 31, 1939 531,020 Germany Aug. 4, 1931 

